Thank you for your membership with NASW. Take a look at our upcoming Chapter events for January 2026, Conference Planning efforts, policy and practice updates, and more.

Diana Fergusson

Coordinator of Professional Development and Administrative Affairs

NASW-WA

(she/her)

2026 NASW-WA Statewide Conference Save the Dates: Seeking Sponsors and More!

Register Now! The 2026 NASW-WA Statewide Conference will be an in-person event hosted in Vancouver, WA, during Social Work Month (March 5-7, 2026). It will feature days of intensive learning and dialogue, networking, and more!

The Conference will explore the theme: "Social Work at the Intersection of Action, Care, and Compassion.” Our hope is to engage social workers working in various practice environments, settings, and subspecialties with workshops that apply knowledge and skills at the micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels. 

Register to Attend the Conference! Registration to attend the conference is opening soon. Please watch for an email to register. You will also be able to use our room block for hotel rooms at better prices. Book your room today as the block expires in early February.

Thank you to all the presenters who submitted proposals. Presenters have been selected.

Support our Conference! Our sponsors’ support is critical to the success of our event! We have multiple opportunities for organizations and individuals to support our Chapter's event and provide visibility to social workers across the region! Click here to find out more about sponsoring our 2026 Conference!

Social Work Month Award Nominations Open! 

Our Social Work Month Celebration & Awards Luncheon will occur during our Conference in March 2026. Award categories include: Lifetime Achievement Award, Social Worker of the Year, Social Work Educator of the Year, Taylene Watson President's Award, Outstanding Recent Graduate, Outstanding Student, and Public Citizen of the Year.

Know a social worker or community member who should be honored? Click here to find out more about our award categories and nominate someone today!

Legislative Updates

State Updates

The NASW-WA Legislative Action Committee (LAC) continues to plan for the 2026 Legislative Session and beyond. Legislative issues that the LAC is looking at include AI legislation, changes to how social workers are regulated (our own social work board), licensure exam removal for LASWs, and exam alternative pathways for LICSWs.

The virtual portion of the Policy Conference on January 15, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM was cancelled. In place of this year’s Policy Conference, we plan to host an end-of-session town hall in late March or early April, which will provide an opportunity for meaningful dialogue and engagement.

Our Chapter maintains our Voter Voice page. We're including additional opportunities for advocacy, including participation in civic demonstrations and marches. If you have any additions you'd like to see on our Voter Voice page, send us a message!

Celebrate Social Work Month This March at the NASW-WA Awards Luncheon during the Conference

This year's Social Work Month theme—Social Workers: Uplift. Defend. Transform.—honors the profession's vital mission to enhance human well-being, support vulnerable populations, and strengthen communities by uplifting individuals, defending equity and justice, and transforming lives through compassionate practice and advocacy. Join us for the NASW-WA Awards Luncheon during the Conference on March 7, 2026. Purchase your tickets for the conference now.

Hour with Private Practice (HOPP)

NASW Members Only...FREE

When: Third Friday of the Month 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET

Virtual: Zoom sessions

Get important clinical social work updates affecting the delivery of mental health services in a private solo or group practice. An Hour with Private Practice (HOPP): Questions & Answers meets monthly and is free and for NASW members only. Access recordings of past sessions.

Next Session: February 2026

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Fear and Survival: Uniting our Social Work Community in the Face of the Federal Immigration Crack Down

Thursday, January 15, 2026 (6-8pm EST) PLEASE NOTE UPDATED TIME

Kick off the year with NASW and a critical conversation for our social work profession. Join us for a discussion with expert social workers on challenges and risks faced by clients and communities in immigrant communities. What is happening in communities after traumatic immigration raids? This NASW Student Series is in partnership with the NASW-MA annual virtual MLK Jr. Forum on Racial Justice will identify how social workers can work together to provide a system of care to support immigrant communities in the face of federal immigration crackdown. Expert social workers will discuss approaches to addressing the impact of immigration policy in communities, interventions to support immigrant communities, and strategies to integrate advocacy into clinical work.  

Participants will be able to: 

• Identify systems of care within immigrant communities.
• Learn specific interventions to address the impacts of immigration policy in social work practice across the range of settings where social workers live and work.
• Learn strategies to engage in advocacy centering communities most impacted by immigration enforcement.



This event is FREE and has 2 CEs available. Registration closes January 13. 

Register at www.socialworkers.org/studentevents. 

Spread the Word - SKC Clinic Volunteer Registration Now Open

Please help spread the word about this impactful opportunity so we can fill all 5,000+ shifts during Clinic week, as well as the eyeglasses dispensing event in late May. Here are some quick links to remember:



Volunteer Registration: Find flyers, social media graphics, assignment descriptions, and more here.

Call for Presenters

Are you interested in presenting a workshop for NASW-WA? We have an open call for presenters for our ongoing continuing education series held throughout the year (live, virtual, or recorded).

Click here for more information about what we're looking for!

FEATURED UPCOMING EVENTS

Miss a live Webinar?

Check out the growing list of NASW Washington Webinars

after they have occurred.

Chapter Classifieds

NASW-WA offers a space on our website for text-only classified ads. Click here for details.

Stay up to date on the newest NASW-WA Continuing Education courses!

NASW Washington Chapter | Website